As Fate Has Ordained
by Letterbomb
Summary: Lauren could still hear Dumbledore's words in her head: "For every life you safe, another one will be taken."
1. Seen And Unforseen

**Finally, my first Harry Potter fanfiction with just a tiny little authors note at the beginning. Hope you'll like it (the chapter, not the authors note. xD) . And thanks a lot to my beta **_**Marteczka's Quill**_**! I'm really looking forward working with you on the rest of the story! :)**

**Well, I don't want to say too much now, enjoy the story and maybe leave a review. I'd be happy. :)**

_Chapter 1 - Seen and Unforeseen_

A bright sun was shining over a deep and cloudless blue sky. The day was still young and the small town of Bransgore, in the south of England, was slowly awakening to a beautiful Sunday morning. Life came back into the previously deserted roads and some of the town's inhabitants made their way to church early.

Meanwhile, in their big, isolated house on Ringwood Road, surrounded only by trees and open land, the Sherwin family stirred as well.

When Elizabeth Sherwin, wife to Jonathan Sherwin and mother of seventeen-year-old Lauren and fourteen-year-old Michael, got up on this sunny day, she was struck by such a bad feeling deep inside her stomach that she would rather have stayed in bed completely than set one foot out of it.

She sat at the edge of her bed for a pretty long time, the white sheets crumpled by her side, staring at a vague point on the light blue wallpaper. Her husband Jonathan lay next to her, still sleeping peacefully although the cozy room was already flooded with warm sunlight.

Mrs. Sherwin suddenly shuddered and shook her head, thinking about how ridiculous it was to stay in bed because of a bad feeling. She finally stood up, got dressed and hurried down into the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

It was a relatively quiet Sunday morning. Lauren and Michael were still sleeping, enjoying their free time. Their summer holiday from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry started a few weeks ago. After this vacation, Lauren would begin her seventh and final year at the school, while Michael would start his fourth.

Elizabeth and Jonathan's vacation also began several weeks ago. They were allotted some time to spend with their children, far away from the busy work at the Ministry of Magic.

While Mr. Sherwin worked in the Department of International Magical Cooperation as a member of the International Confederation of Wizards, Mrs. Sherwin had a job in the Department of Magical Transportation at the Apparition Test Center.

But Elizabeth could not really enjoy her well-deserved holiday with her husband and children. The recent news of Lord Voldemort's return upset her greatly, rivaling her anger at the fact that the Daily Prophet still tried to suppress these rumors by calling the headmaster of Hogwarts a tottery old man who had "lost his marbles" and Harry Potter a "lying lunatic who just wants to be standing in the spotlight and in the middle of everyone's attention". These days, she was always a bit grumpy and in a bad mood, due to the dark feeling of foreboding haunting her all the time.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Sherwin did not share the Daily Prophet's opinion. Their respect for Albus Dumbledore was too great to be destroyed by the ratty articles of the last few weeks. They couldn't find it in themselves to believe that everything he said about Voldemort's return was foolish and a complete lie.

It wasn't only the things going on in the wizarding world that concerned Elizabeth. A small voice inside her head told her that all the peaceful times they used to live in were now over. Still, she tried not to be too concerned about these morbid thoughts and lived her life as she had before.

With a smile on her face and a kind word for everyone, she tried to hide her bad mood and the deep concern she felt.

However, those attempts weren't always successful. Even on this beautiful Sunday morning, her strange feeling grew stronger every minute, becoming more intense as it had been doing several days before. She could not concentrate on anything and was consequently uncoordinated.

"Everything alright?" Jonathan asked as he walked down the stairs, his eyes still looking tired and small.

Just before he came down, he heard a loud crash. Elizabeth had sent a full set of dishes to the floor with an uncontrolled flick of her wand. The china shattered in hundred miniscule pieces.

For a second, Mrs. Sherwin stood immobilized in her place in the kitchen. Her hand, in which she still held her wand, was hanging limp at her side.

"Darling?" asked Jonathan, stepping closer to his wife. She gave no answer, seeming not to notice his presence.

"Hey mum! What's all that noise?"

Mrs. Sherwin cringed as Michael came rumbling down the wooden stairs. He was a tall, fourteen-year-old boy, and with his blond hair and piercing blue eyes he looked just like his father. As she finally realized she was not alone, Elizabeth waved her hand as if to shoo away a fly and with another flick of her wand she fixed the broken dishes.

"It's nothing. Just a little accident." she said smiling faintly before conjuring a big steaming tea pot and putting it on the table.

The three of them had barely taken a seat when Lauren, sleepy-eyed and still clad in her pajamas, slowly walked into the kitchen, looking as if she had just fallen out of bed.

"Mornin'." she mumbled and ran a hand through her long brown hair. Though usually slightly wavy, the tresses were now messy from sleep. Lauren lowered herself onto a chair next to her father.

"Look at this. Our princess finally made her way down for breakfast." Michael grinned and loaded scrambled eggs on his plate. Lauren said nothing, but shot a dark look at him and took one of the fresh buns.

Meanwhile, Mr. Sherwin opened the Daily Prophet, his wand in one hand with which he let some sugar and milk disappear in his hot coffee.

For a while none of them spoke, all busy eating, and Mr. Sherwin read the Prophet. After some minutes of scanning over the articles he suddenly threw the paper back on the table with a discontent grunt.

"Any news?" Elizabeth asked, looking up, but her husband shook his head.

"The same garbage as always. They should think of something new. It's getting boring." he said and stretched his arms.

"About Professor Dumbledore and Harry Potter?" Lauren asked, wiping her mouth with a napkin. Her father nodded grimly and the family fell into silence again. They had seen Mr. Sherwin have tantrums over the Daily Prophet every so often and already knew that it was more than frightening. Elizabeth had more than once suggested to read another paper but her husband refused without any reason.

Jonathan's gloomy mood and Elizabeth's dark brooding lay a strange and uncomfortable atmosphere above them; nobody wanted to utter a word. They all just kept eating and all that could be heard was the clatter of the silverware.

It was just then Mrs. Sherwin stood up so suddenly that her chair crashed to the floor with a loud noise. The others looked up in surprise.

"What...?" Jonathan asked, confused. Lauren and Michael looked at each other, both of them worried, but Elizabeth did not show any reaction. Her gaze had become glasslike and out of focus.

"Mum?" Michael, who had sat next to his mother, stood up and laid his hands carefully on Mrs. Sherwin¹s shoulders and shook her slightly. Again she showed no sign of a reaction.

"Oh no..." murmured Jonathan and with just a few steps he was at his wife's side, putting a firm grip on her shoulders. He started to shake her more violently than Michael had done.

"Elizabeth! Do not let it happen! Hold it back!"

Lauren and Michael backed off, frightened, watching the scene with terrified expressions. Elizabeth hung limp in Jonathan's arms, her head wiggling on her shoulders, eyeballs rolled to the inside of her skull and her mouth slightly open. Still she showed no reaction to Jonathan's attempts to free her from her trancelike state. The kids did not dare to say a single word, though Lauren gripped her brother's arm tightly.

Finally Jonathan gave up. His face was twisted, as if he was in pain, when he took Elizabeth into his arms and carried her to the living room, where he lay her down on the sofa. He eventually came back into the kitchen, his face pale.

"Dad, what's wrong with her? Is she... is she alright?" Lauren asked carefully, her face as pale as her fathers, her voice shaking. She sat down next to him, watching him as he nodded slowly.

"Yes. She is alright." he said, but Lauren and her brother exchanged worried glances.

"But... that's not everything. Right?" Michael asked and sat down on another chair, staring firmly at his father although his hands where shaking.

Mr. Sherwin slowly looked up and gazed at his children. For a while he said nothing, just looked at them, thinking. But then, as if he had silently argued with himself and finally came to a conclusion, he nodded.

"Good." he said, seeming to get his thoughts sorted and cleared his throat. "I think you two are old enough to hear the truth."

Jonathan stayed silent for a few more moments, his face now calm and concentrated. Then he started to speak again.

"Your mother is a Seer," he said plainly, without further explanation. His statement had obviously caught his children off guard, as Lauren's face suddenly went even more pale than it was before and she swallowed hard. Michael looked at his father as if he was out of his mind, his ice blue eyes wide open.

"A... Seer? A real Seer?" Lauren asked, her voice not more than a whisper. Jonathan nodded, his face gloomy again.

"Yes. A real Seer. And... she is having a vision, in this moment." as he said that, Mr. Sherwin looked even more concerned but he continued speaking.

"You have to know that there are different kinds of Seers in the wizarding world. Of course there are some people who claim to be Seers, but are little more than a bunch of drivelling idiots." He snorted and suddenly the picture of Lauren's former Divination teacher, Professor Trelawney, popped up in her mind.

"Well... as I said, there are different kinds of Seers who see the future in different ways. Some of them see things while they sleep, they just dream them. Others make prophecies. But there is another one, a third type, which your mother belongs to. They have sudden visions, falling into the state of a trance. That can happen anytime, in bright daylight like in your mother's case, or in the middle of the night, while they are asleep."

"And how long does she stay in that kind of trance?" Michael asked, suddenly looking helpless. Jonathan just shrugged.

"Seconds? Minutes? Hours? It depends on _what _she's seeing." he said, but neither Lauren nor Michael could completely figure out what he meant.

"Does she often have those visions?" asked Lauren, who had never seen her mother like this before.

"To be honest, no. This is the first one she's had in years." Jonathan answered sullenly. "And she never tells me what she sees," he added, answering Lauren's unspoken question.

"The only one who she talks to when she sees something is Albus Dumbledore," he finally said, running his hand over his face. He suddenly looked very tired.

"You have to know that seeing the future, knowing what is going to happen, is really dangerous. If you treat the things you know too carelessly... the consequences could be tremendous. Sometimes it causes more damage than it actually helps."

Lauren and Michael could tell from his gloomy tone that their parents had already had experiences with such situations, and as much they would like to know what they were, they refrained from asking. They knew Mr. Sherwin would not answer that question.

"We have hoped, that those visions would never come back again," their father said and shook his head again. "But it seems that this wish will not be granted."

Suddenly they heard hurried footsteps on the wooden floor and saw Mrs. Sherwin standing in the kitchen door. She was white as the wall, her whole body shaking with beads of sweat running down her temples.

"Elizabeth!" Jonathan shouted and jumped to his feet. With just a few steps he stood right beside his wife.

"Dumbledore... I have to speak to him, now!" she stuttered, her voice sounding hoarse. Jonathan nodded, took her hand and pulled her to the fireplace. With the help of his wand he ignited a sparkling fire.

"We will be back soon," Mr. Sherwin said before he threw a hand of floo powder into the fire. At once the flames turned emerald green.

Elizabeth squared her shoulders and took a hand of floo powder before stepping into the flames.

"Office of Albus Dumbledore, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," she said, her voice sounding loud, clear, and determined now. There was a sudden movement and her body disappeared from the flames. Jonathan followed her immediately while Lauren and Michael remained behind.


	2. Sudden Change In Weather

**Chapter two is finally done and betaed! =D A big "Thank you" again to my beta Martha, even, if it took you so long. ;) And thank you, for reviews and favs! I really appreciate that.**

**Please leave a review if you like it. Or don't like it. Thank you. ;)**

**Now, have fun with the second chapter!**

_Chapter 2 - Sudden Change in Weather_

After their parents' departure, Lauren and Michael remained in silent thought in the kitchen. Michael paced in front of the fireplace, his arms crossed and a stern look on his face. Once in a while he stood completely still, his eyes closed, but then he would start walking up and down again.

Lauren sat at the kitchen table, thinking. How could she not know that her mother was a Seer? How could both of her parents keep that secret all those years? Why didn't they tell her? Her father had said that she and Michael hadn't been old enough to understand, but she wasn't entirely sure if she understood it completely now. Her mother could see the future, had real visions, but never told anyone but Albus Dumbledore. And yet again Lauren asked herself what it was she had seen. Mr. Sherwin had said so many mysterious things about her visions and that it is dangerous to know, but wasn't it rather a gift? She could exchange the future for a better one or even save lives.

Frustrated because of the lack of answers and feeling the dull throbbing of the beginning of a light headache, Lauren shook her head. Her parents still hadn't returned and it would surely take them a while longer to get home. So she decided to get dressed. An innocent distraction, that was what she needed now. Michael ignored her completely as she went up to her room. He kept on walking back and forth, his brows furrowed.

But the distraction Lauren had wanted never came. While she got dressed, Lauren's thoughts kept on racing through her head and she suppressed the urge to scream.

She stood in front of her mirror, staring at her reflection. A lot of people said Lauren was the image of her mother and they were right. She had the same dark brown wavy long hair, and almost the same green eyes. Just like her mother. Even their features were similar. And suddenly Lauren wondered if she had the talent to be a real Seer, too.

"You're not a real Seer. That's ridiculous," she said to herself.

But what if she was? It was not uncommon for mothers to bequeath their daughters with the same abilities they possessed themselves. Why not in their case? Of course, Lauren had never shown any signs of being a Seer and she certainly didn't recall having had a real vision. Also, she had never received good marks in Divination, as her best subject was Potions. But the question still remained inside her head, a nagging possibility.

"Yes... you're definitely just being ridiculous," she said with a little more conviction, again talking to her image and shaking her head slightly.

"Lauren!" she suddenly heard her brother shout from downstairs. "They're back!"

Lauren jumped slightly, but then hurried down to the kitchen again where she found her parents sitting at the table. Michael still stood in front of the fireplace with his fists clenched and his whole body tense.

At the sight of her mother, Lauren had to swallow hard. Mrs. Sherwin looked terribly tired and was as sickly pale as she had been before her departure. A steaming cup of tea stood in front of her.

"Lauren," Mrs. Sherwin said, smiling as she saw her daughter entering the kitchen. "Come. Sit down."

Lauren did as she was told without saying a word. Michael took a seat next to her instantly. Both looked at their parents, expecting to hear what was going on.

"I bet you have a lot of questions" Elizabeth finally said, still smiling, as she took a sip of her tea. "And we'll explain everything we can to you."

Lauren had to suppress a grunt. Explaining everything they could meant that her parents would not tell them the whole truth, just everything they needed to know to be half-satisfied. She frowned.

"What did you see in your vision?" Michael blurted, but Elizabeth shook her head.

"Darling, your father already informed you that I cannot share that with you. Nor with anyone else. Not you, not Lauren, and not your father," she said, looking at her son. "But I had a long conversation with Professor Dumbledore."

Both Lauren and Michael looked at her expectantly and Mrs. Sherwin continued to speak.

"Have you ever heard about 'The Order of the Phoenix'?" she asked, looking at her children. The siblings glanced at each other briefly and then back at their mother, both shaking their heads.

"Just as I thought." Elizabeth sighed and started massaging her temples before she continued.

"The Order is a secret organization against He Who Must Not Be Named and his Death Eaters. They already fought him in the first war and they will continue to fight him now."

Lauren's eyes widened and clenched her fists underneath the table. All this time she had hoped that what the Daily Prophet printed was true; that the Dark Lord's return was nothing more than a lie.

"What... does that mean... it is true? He is back? You-Know-Who really is back?" said Michael, voicing the thoughts Lauren's mind was encircling at the same moment. With concern etched deeply on her face, Mrs. Sherwin nodded.

"Yes, I'm afraid he is" she said with a sigh.

"So... you and Dad joined the Order to fight against him?" Lauren asked, finally realizing what this conversation was all about. Her eyes widened and she felt fear deep in her gut.

"That's what Dumbledore wants us to do, yes," Mr. Sherwin said, joining the conversation after saying nothing for quite a while.

"But... it'll be dangerous!" Lauren's voice trembled and her hands started to shake. "You can't do that!"

Mr. and Mrs. Sherwin looked at her, sharing the same sad expressions on their faces. And in this moment, Lauren realized that there was nothing she could do to change her parents' minds. She just had to accept their decision.

"I'm sorry," Elizabeth said, looking at her children with a sad smile. "We're both sorry. But... we don't have another choice. I know it's hard to understand but we can't tell you more than we already have."

It was obvious that neither Lauren nor Michael were completely satisfied with that answer; they wanted to know the whole story. But they also knew that they would gain nothing more than what was told; that their parents would risk their lives to fight against the Dark Lord.

"The time will come when you will both understand more than you do now. But for now, you better not expect any clearer answers," Mrs. Sherwin finished, then glanced at her husband and shifted in her chair uncomfortably. "But there is another thing we have to tell you."

Lauren raised her eyebrows, wondering if another message could make her day even worse.

"Well, we'll live at the headquarters of the Order for some time. You'll both join us until you head back to school in September," Mr. Sherwin said. His wife remained silent.

"Wonderful," Lauren muttered, crossing her arms and glaring at the ceiling. Yes, it was possible for her day to get even worse. Michael seemed to be unhappy with this thought as well. He grunted in discontent, a gloomy expression on his face.

"When are we leaving?" Lauren asked, her gaze still glued to the ceiling.

"Tonight. Alastor Moody will pick us up and escort us to London, where Headquarters are located." Jonathan stood up. "We have to pack." He left the room, waving at Michael to follow him. The boy stood up unwillingly. Mrs. Sherwin also rose from her chair.

"I have to send an owl to Molly to tell her we'll arrive tonight," she said, smiling at her daughter who still sat in her chair.

"Molly? Molly Weasley?" she asked, looking at her mother, confused. Elizabeth laughed at the sight of Lauren's expression.

"Yes, Molly Weasley, darling. She and Arthur are in the Order, too," she said, walking around the table and laying her arm around her daughter's shoulder. "The Weasley children will be there, too, so you and Michael will have some company while your father and I start working for the Order."

Mrs. Sherwin squeezed Lauren's shoulders one more time and then finally left the room, heading to her office to send said owl to Mrs. Weasley.

As soon she was alone, Lauren lowered her head until it touched the surface of the wooden desk and sighed deeply.

"Wonderful..." she muttered, her face flat against the desk. It was obvious to her that her mother thought it would be nice for Lauren and Michael to see some people from school, but Lauren did not share Mrs. Sherwin¹s opinion.

The only Weasley children Lauren really knew were the twins, Fred and George, who were in the same year as she was. Lauren could not tell her mother that she would rather burn her broom than be in one house with the Weasley twins for more than an hour. Actually, she had no problem with them and liked them very much. They were nice young men, really creative and clever in their own way. It was more the fact that she had nursed a major crush on Fred since fifth year that caused the real problems.

It began at one school Quidditch game, Ravenclaw vs. Gryffindor. Lauren had been a Chaser for the Ravenclaw house team since her third year. During the match, Fred, who played Beater, hit her with a Bludger and caused her to have to spend no less than two weeks in the hospital wing, due to the severity of several broken bones, including her skull, where the Bludger had hit her hardest, her left leg, and both of her arms, which broke after falling from her broom.

One would think that after this incident Lauren would have been more than angry with him, but she soon had to change her mind. Fred visited her once, on the day she woke up after five days of sleep, and apologized, blowing Lauren off her feet. It wasn't because he brought a box of chocolate frogs with him. It was just him coming and apologizing that did the trick. Lauren was never able to look at him like she did before, and she never found out why he came to her to apologize at all.

From that day on, every time she saw him, butterflies began to flit around her stomach and her knees would suddenly seem to be made of pudding. It was then that she realized that the twins really were handsome and charming, as she always stared at Fred, whenever he was near her. But there was something about Fred that George didn't have. Something she could not explain, but made her heart beat fast and her knees grow weak, that made her blush every

time he talked to her and made it impossible for her to speak. She could tell them apart simply from the butterfly-effect Fred had on her.

Lauren never dared to hope that he might feel the same for her, as he was nice and charming to every pretty girl that crossed his path. Furthermore, she was too shy to take the initiative. Another problem was that they only met during the lessons that Gryffindor and Ravenclaw shared. Being in different houses made it harder for Lauren to get in touch with him. And all the hopes she had were crushed in one moment when she found out that Fred asked Angelina Johnson to go with him to the Yule Ball.

It was, according to Lauren, the most embarrassing moment in her whole life when she walked up to him in the Great Hall after lunch, her face deep red, and asked him if he would like to go to the ball with her. Her best friends, Emily and Jessica, tried to convince her for a whole week to ask him, telling her that it was the best opportunity for her to show him that she was alive. Lauren never thought that this was a good idea and as soon as the words had left her mouth she knew her thought to be true. She'd never forget the look on his face, a mixture of amusement and surprise. And when he told her that he was going with Angelina, Lauren just wished to vanish off the face of the earth, while the other Gryffindors at the table grinned at her in amusement. Lauren rushed out of the Great Hall, locked herself in a cubicle and cried for almost half an hour, missing the beginning of Herbology.

Since the Yule Ball, Fred and Angelina had been dating and Lauren had desperately tried to get him out of her mind. But Fred Weasley would stay right there, as if he was glued to the underside of her brain. Seeing him for the rest of the summer holiday, which was almost three weeks, would not help her to reach her goal of forgetting him.

Lauren sighed deeply as she finally got up and made her way back to her room to pack all of her things. Passing her brother's room, she could hear that he was already busy with packing and as she walked by he opened the door, shouting a question of whether of not she knew where his broom was.

It was no big deal for Lauren to pack all of her things, as she could now use her wand to solve the problem. She opened her wardrobe and soon there were her clothes and schoolrobes, soaring through the air and landing in her trunk, which Lauren had placed on her bed.

Soon she was done with packing. Her room looked rather empty without her things lying around. Her books had gone; her broom, a Cleansweep Seven, was no longer standing in the corner of her room. Again she sighed deeply, lowering herself onto the bed, which was now empty as she had put her heavy trunk on the floor. Her barn owl, Artemis, hooted, dissatisfied with being locked in his cage.

"Sorry, Artemis. But we're leaving soon, I can't let you out," she said and the owl turned his back on her, insulted. Lauren growled. "It's not my fault..."

Several hours passed and Lauren moved around the house restlessly, occasionally helping her father or her mother to pack or clean something. When dusk began to fall over the land, they gathered in the kitchen, all dressed in traveling cloaks.

"He should be here any minute," Jonathan said as they sat at the table having a quick cup of tea. And he was right. Just seconds after the words left his lips, there was a loud knock on the door that made everyone at the table jump. Mrs. Sherwin hurried to open the door for the Auror.

Moody entered the kitchen. With every step he took, they could hear a silent _'klonk' _because of his wooden leg. He said nothing, just scanned the room and everyone in it with his magic eye spinning around wildly in its socket. His face was covered with large scars and a huge part of his nose was missing. Lauren, who could remember him from last year's Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons, looked at him with wide eyes.

"Something wrong, missy?" he asked her, his magic eye still spinning around. Lauren violently shook her head, tearing away her eyes and looking at her teacup.

"Alastor! How are you? Do you want a cup of tea?" Elizabeth asked in a friendly voice and stood up to greet him, but Moody denied.

"Not today, Liz. We have not much time. Better get out of here soon," he grunted, still looking around suspiciously as if someone was going to attack them at any second. He pulled out a piece of parchment from his pocket.

"Everyone read this and brand it into your memory. It's really important," Moody muttered and gave the parchment to Mr. Sherwin, who read it and passed it to his wife. Lauren was the last one to read the narrow writing in emerald green ink:

_"The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, London."_

Her brows furrowed as she memorized the address. Meanwhile, Moody and her father had begun to get all of their luggage out of the house and into the backyard, which was now shrouded in darkness.

"Come on!" they heard Jonathan huff, and Lauren, her mother and Michael hurried out of the house. As Elizabeth closed the door behind her, Moody and Jonathan shrank all of the family's luggage so that the large trunks fit into their pockets. Moody took Laurens owl while Jonathan held Michael's owl, Hector, in the cage in his hands.

"We'll Apparate to Grimmauld Place. You know how to Apparate, I presume?" he asked, looking at Lauren with his normal eye, while the magical one rolled to the inside of his skull. Lauren nodded.

"Should've expected that, with your mother working at the Apparition Test Center." Moody lifted his wand. Elizabeth held out her arm, telling Michael to take it.

"On the count of three!" shouted Moody. "One - two - three!"

Lauren concentrated as hard on Number Twelve Grimmauld Place as she could, then she turned on the spot and with four loud _Cracks _they vanished.


	3. Arriving at No Twelve Grimmauld Place

**Obviously the new chapter is done! A big "Tank you!" again, to my beta, Martha! Without her, this story wouldn't be as good (?) as it is. ;) And thank you, for the reviews! But I know, that there are some more people reading this story. I can see you. ;) Have fun and enjoy the new chapter.**

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_Chapter 3 - Arriving at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place_

When she felt the concrete under her feet again, Lauren found herself standing between her father and Michael. Slowly the darkness of the Apparition process and the uncomfortable feeling it brought vanished and Lauren looked around, surveying her new surroundings.

The image of a welcoming place was the polar opposite of their current location. They stood on a broad street, framed with dirty sidewalks. The houses, dark, their muddy brick walls reflecting the dull light of the streetlamps, did not seem very inviting. Several windows were broken and the paint was peeling from many of the doors. A smell of rotting trash rose into Lauren's nose and her face twisted in disgust.

"Home, sweet home..." Michael mumbled from his place next to her, still looking a bit dizzy from Apparating at his mother's side. Lauren growled. What a great place to spend her three weeks of summer holidays

Moody headed straight for the house with the number twelve, climbed the worn-out steps, and waved to them to follow him quickly.

"Come in and follow me," he grunted and tapped the black door with his wand. Lauren could hear several clicks, the rattling of a chain and the door opened, revealing nothing but darkness. Moody did not hesitate and stepped in, the Sherwin family following him cautiously.

Lauren stumbled in last and at once a damp and dusty smell hit her. She also could sense a sweet and wet scent, as if something was rotting. Again Moody waved his wand and along the wall, the small old-fashioned gaslights came to life, lighting the hall. Looking around, Lauren could observe antique furniture, decorated with snakes in every possible place, but either covered in dust or cobwebs. As they made their way through the hall, they passed

rows of portraits of gloomy looking witches and wizards. Lauren shuddered and nailed her glance to her father¹s back, wishing to focus on something less frightening than this house.

A door at the end of the hall suddenly burst open, filling the dark hall with a warm glow.

"Ah, there you are!" said Molly Weasley, silently closing the door behind her. She hurried along the hall to greet them. "It's so good to see you. I hope your traveling went well." She pulled Mrs. Sherwin into a tight embrace.

Elizabeth returned her heart-warming smile, looking tired from the day's events, something that Mrs. Weasley recognized at once.

"But what are we doing just standing here! You must be hungry and tired! Come in, we just started dinner!" she almost whispered, ushering them into the crowded kitchen. "Oh, Lauren, Michael! I haven't seen you in years!" Mrs. Weasley hugged them both tightly before allowing them to pass into the room.

"My dear Lauren! Will you ever stop getting more and more gorgeous?" said Mrs. Weasley, and Lauren could swear she felt one of her ribs crack as the round woman pulled hear in a heartfelt embrace. She grinned weakly, feeling her cheeks go deep red, wanting nothing more than to lay down in her bed and rest.

"Molly," they suddenly heard Moody growl as they were about to enter the kitchen, "They don't know about Sirius. You should tell them before they see him."

Mrs. Weasley seemed staggered for a few moments; her face was thoughtful. Then she nodded in agreement.

"Yes, you are right. They should know," she finally answered, turning away from the kitchen door. "Follow me."

Lauren looked at her parents, who seemed to know nothing more about this than she did. Who were they talking about? That name, Sirius, rang a bell in her head, but Lauren couldn't recall why.

They had just rounded a corner before Mrs. Weasley opened another dusty door and entered. Again the unpleasant smell of decay and musty wallpapers waved over them and Lauren had to suppress the urge to gag. As she lit the gas lights with her wand, Mrs. Weasley gave them an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry about this... environment. We are in the midst of the cleaning process," she said, conjuring a set of simple wooden chairs. "I wouldn't want you to sit on these." Molly added, pointing to some dirty sofas.

Now in the weak lamplight, Lauren noticed that Mrs. Weasley, a usually rather round woman, had visibly lost weight. Her face was gaunter than usual and her dress was loose around her hips.

"Well, what do you need to tell us, Molly?" Mrs. Sherwin asked in a soft voice after they had all taken a seat. It seemed to take a few moments before Mrs. Weasley was able to speak. She cleared her throat and took a deep breath.

"Do you know what house we are in at this very moment?" she asked, looking at the Sherwins.

_House? This isn't a house. This is a ruin. It's ancient!_

Lauren glared at Mrs. Weasley, as it was her fault that they had to be here, although the red-haired woman was anything but guilty in this case. But it was quite clear, that the right answer wasn't "in the Headquaters of the Order of the Phoenix."

"We are in the old house of the Black family," Mrs. Weasley continued, as nobody had spoken. "Sirius provides it for the Order; it's his house," she said, and at this moment Mr. Sherwin jumped out of his chair.

"Sirius? As in Sirius Black?!" he shouted and Mrs. Weasley nodded, taken aback. Jonathan groaned, falling back in his chair. "You must be joking..."

"No, I am certainly not joking," Mrs. Weasley said, swallowing hard before she continued. "You have to know that Sirius is innocent. I know that sounds unbelievable!" she added hastily, as the whole Sherwin family looked at her in complete shock.

"How could he be innocent? He killed, what? Twelve Muggles?" Lauren said, her eyes wide in disbelief. "And he betrayed Lily and James Potter, giving their secret to You-Know-Who!"

_She has to be kidding... That's just plain ridiculous!_

"I know. That's what everyone thought for thirteen years. But believe me, we were all wrong," Mrs. Weasley said, sighing deeply. "The one who killed all those Muggles and betrayed the Potters was Peter Pettigrew."

"Peter Pettigrew?" Elizabeth looked at Mrs. Weasley with round eyes. "But Pettigrew's dead! Black killed him as he killed the Muggles!" Again Molly shook her head.

"That's how it seemed to be," she said. "The truth, however, is different."

"Then what happened?" asked Jonathan, seeming to be completely calm, not letting anyone notice that his insides where bubbling.

"He cast the spell that killed the people around him and then cut off his forefinger, the only part of his body that was found, and escaped. He's an Animagus and is able to transform into a rat at will." Her face twisted as she said that and the expression of worry changed into one of fury. "He lived in our house, first as Percy's pet, then as Ron's. Two years ago, he escaped and went back to You-Know-Who and helped him regaining his powers."

"Merlin's beard..." Michael muttered, who had remained silent, sitting next to Lauren with a concentrated expression. Lauren nodded slowly, trying to understand what had been said.

Her thoughts were racing as they finally made their way to the kitchen. Sirius Black. Innocent. Sitting in Azkaban for eleven years without being guilty. Her parents and Michael seemed to be just as overwhelmed with this information as she was. Nobody spoke as they were all struggling with their own thoughts.

Finally, Mrs. Weasley opened the kitchen door and let the family pass. They were all hungry and tired after their very long day. But before they sat down at the long table, they eyed Sirius Black suspiciously. He sat with Remus Lupin, Lauren's former Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Next to them, Bill and Arthur Weasley bent over a bunch of parchment rolls.

"Sit down, sit down!" Mrs. Weasley called, already carrying a tray full of sandwiches and pumpkin juice.

As they started eating, Lauren looked around the room. The four men at the other end at the table didn't seem to notice their presence, talking animatedly amongst themselves. It seemed to be Order business, as Mrs. Weasley glared at the men, then looked at Lauren and Michael, who weren't supposed to hear anything about that, but she didn't say a word. No one else besides the men was present in the room.

Lauren hoped she wouldn't bump into Fred before she had a good night¹s sleep. Tired as she was, there was no chance that she could deal with having him around without embarrassing herself within five seconds of the start of a conversation.

But after a while, the kitchen filled with people, mostly from the Ministry. Mr. Sherwin muttered their names under his breath, so Michael and Lauren knew who they were and what they did.

First to arrive were Kingsley Shacklebolt and Nymphadora Tonks, both fully trained Aurors from the Ministry. Shacklebolt was a tall dark wizard with a golden earring dangling from his right ear. Tonks was a rather young witch with bright pink hair and a pretty heart-shaped face.

Every minute, more witches and wizards entered the kitchen: Emmeline Vance, Elphias Doge, Sturgis Podmore, Hestia Jones and finally, Dedalus Diggle. Soon the kitchen was filled with voices and Lauren again felt overwhelmed by the amount of new people. Then she heard the voice of Mrs. Weasley, calling her name.

"Lauren! Michael! Come with me. The meeting will begin soon and you need to know where your rooms are," she said, standing next to them. Elizabeth looked at her children, nodding.

"Alastor already brought your luggage to your rooms," Mrs. Weasley whispered as they passed a large portrait hidden behind a dark curtain. Lauren could hear a gloomy voice murmur behind it. Mrs. Weasley smiled weakly. "It's the portrait of Mrs. Black, Sirius's mother. It's better not wake her up; she isn¹t the type of person you could call pleasant."

"Good. Michael, you'll sleep in this room with Ron and Harry, when we get him tonight," she said after stopping at another black painted door. "Lauren, dear, your room is over there. Ginny and Hermione should be inside."

After Mrs. Weasley had made her way back down the stairs, Lauren passed the door to the room she would be sharing with the other two girls. Ginny and Hermione were both in there, sitting on their beds. Hermione was reading a thick and old looking book, while Ginny was playing with Crookshanks, Hermione's ginger cat. They both looked up when Lauren entered the room.

"You must be Lauren," said Ginny plainly, pausing her playing with the cat.

"Yeah," Lauren replied, lowering herself onto the third bed in the room, her heavy trunk placed right next to it. She glanced around the narrow room, with dark wallpaper and high windows, surrounded by heavy curtains.

"It's not really a room you'd like to sleep in," Hermione said, noticing Lauren's look of discontent. "But it's not for long." She smiled at her, putting her book on a nightstand.

"So you're in the same year as Fred and George?" she asked. Lauren nodded again. Ginny snorted.

"My sympathies." The redhead shook her head. "But you're a Ravenclaw. You just have to stand them during classes. It's even worse being their sister. Or just living in the same house."

Lauren's face twisted at Ginny's comment.

_If you only knew what I thought of your brother, Ginny, if you only knew..._

If Ginny knew that Lauren actually liked her twin brothers - one in particular more than the other - she would surely declare her as a lunatic.

A sudden knock on the door made them all jump, then Ron and Michael entered the room.

"Hey, Michael! Long time no see." Ginny grinned as he sat down next to his sister, smiling awkwardly.

"You know him?" Ron asked, letting himself fall onto Hermione's bed. Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Yes, I know him. He¹s in my year," she said, shaking her head at the lack of the attention he paid to his surroundings.

"But he's a Ravenclaw!"

"Oh, Ron! Why don't you just shut your mouth before even more crap comes out of it?!" Ginny spat, throwing a pillow at her older brother. It hit his head, then landed on the floor. Ron ignored it.

"Any idea what they're talking about?" Ron asked, folding his hands underneath his head as he lay down on the bed. Hermione rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"They're discussing the plan to get Harry from his aunt's and uncle's house. I told you that two times already," she said, shaking her head slightly. She opened her mouth to say more, but was interrupted by two loud cracks. Fred and George had Apparated right onto Ginny's bed, who looked at them, unimpressed.

"Oi! What's going on here? Having a party?" Fred asked, looking around the room. George shook his head.

"I don't think so, Fred. Look at their faces. Seems more like someone just died." His eyes fell onto Lauren and Michael. "Ahh, the new arrivals!"

Michael grinned widely at the twins, lifting his hand for a small wave. He didn't notice his sister's visible tension at their appearance. Lauren forced a smile onto her face, still startled by the twins' sudden appearance. When her gaze immediately fell on Fred, she wanted to punch herself in the face, but resisted this urge.

"Nice to see you guys," she finally said, feeling her cheeks redden. While the others fell into a conversation again, Lauren stared at Fred.

_Now that's a good start! He's barely in the same room as you for one minute and you already can't look at anyone or anything else..._

But Lauren had a hard time focusing on Hermione, who was about to yell at Ron because he asked again if they knew some details about the plan. She didn't hear what the girl with the bushy brown hair said, completely zoning out.

Fred was still the same gorgeous young man who she hugged goodbye some weeks ago at King's Cross Station. His almost shoulder length flaming red hair, his sparkling blue eyes, that smile that made her insides twitch and her knees weak...

_Look at you; you're worse than Jessica was when she worshipped Lockhart._

No matter how much Lauren loved her best friends, Emily and Jessica, the latter surely went over the top with her "love" for the former Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. She adored the ground he walked on, sent him love letters, and was constantly batting her eyelashes and sighing during their lessons. It had been just pathetic.

Soon Lauren found a distraction, as Ginny asked her to play some Exploding Snap while they where waiting for Harry's arrival. She gratefully accepted the offer. After a while Hermione got up, leaving the room with the heavy book under her arm.

"It's way too loud to concentrate in here," she said, slamming the door behind her.

Not long after her departure, Fred and George became bored and left too, talking about something that sounded like "Skiving Snackboxes", leaving Ron, Ginny, Lauren, and Michael in the room. Suddenly they heard Hermione's shout from downstairs.

"HARRY! Ron, he's here, Harry's here!" Ron quickly jumped to his feet and raced out of the room, grinning like mad.

"Seems like everything went smoothly," Ginny remarked after her brother left the room.

Lauren said nothing, suddenly feeling strangely out of place. In Michael's face she could see that he was feeling the same. They barely knew the people that they'd be spending the next couple of weeks with, who have been friends with one another for a long time. Harry and Hermione were almost members of the Weasley family. Lauren and Michael were strangers, uncomfortable in this new environment, as they both didn't make friends easily. And it wasn¹t any comfort that Mrs. Sherwin and Mrs. Weasley had known each other for a pretty long time.

But Lauren didn't have enough time to drown herself in self-pity. Soon they heard a loud voice sounding through the thin walls.

"That must be Harry," said Ginny, looking up.

"Seems like he's not that happy." Michael looked in the direction where the noise was coming from. Ginny shrugged.

"He's probably mad about being locked up all summer long without any news or information. Dumbledore made every one of us swear not to tell him about the Order," she explained briefly. "Other than that, we don't actually know much."

Ginny threw her cards onto the bed and got up, stretching her legs.

"Well, I think I'll welcome Harry into this beautiful house. Want to come?" she asked. Michael eventually jumped to his feet. Lauren remained silent.

"You don't have to stay in here. No one's going to bite you." The red-headed girl turned in the doorframe as she realized that Lauren hadn't moved. She shook her head.

"It's okay," Lauren simply said. Ginny shrugged, then she and Michael left the room.

Lauren sighed deeply and let herself fall backwards onto the cushions of her bed.

_You're a coward..._

She was already angry with herself for not following Ginny and Michael, but a sudden shyness had overwhelmed her, making her stay where she was: alone in a dark room with spiders for her only company.

Lauren didn't know how long she lay there, staring at the ceiling, when her mother knocked on her door, telling her that the late dinner was ready. Although she felt everything other than hungry, Lauren got up and made her way into the kitchen.

"Hey outsider, where have you been?" Lauren cringed when the twins suddenly appeared next to her on the staircase. She looked at George, who had spoken and was now walking on her right side.

"Yeah, you missed all the fun!" said Fred, winking at her.

"I-I just wanted to be... alone." Lauren said, knowing that it was a lame excuse. Fred waved his hand in a dismissive gesture.

"Rubbish. Nobody wants to be alone in here," he said, "And from now on you¹re not going to have any chances to be alone."

"How come?" Lauren asked, raising an eyebrow. The twins grinned.

"Because we--" began George.

"--will take care of that," Fred finished.

Lauren's expression must have been puzzled, because the twins laughed silently while they crossed the hall.

"Our lovely Lauren shouldn't be alone, right?" Fred whispered, attempting not to wake Mrs. Black's portrait, and opened the door to the kitchen for her. Again he winked at her and with a deep red face and a stupid grin stretching across it, Lauren stepped into the already crowded room, not noticing the way Tonks stumbled in the entrance hall and Mrs. Black started to scream. Her head was in the clouds.


	4. Early Breakdown

_Chapter 4 - Early Breakdown_

The next morning came way too fast for Lauren's liking. She had barely slept three hours, after tossing and turning in her bed, trying to forget about the spiders that crawled over the wall beside her. Mrs. Weasley came to their room in the morning to make sure that the three girls would be down for breakfast.

"We've got a lot to do today," she said while pulling back Ginny's bedcovers. The redhead curled up under her blankets, trying to ignore her persistent mother. "And I want to see you three in the kitchen in fifteen minutes."

Lauren growled silently, then swung her legs out of her bed and opened her trunk to rummage for some clothes. Cleaning up the hopelessly messy house was not something Lauren could imagine spending her day doing with pleasure. Merlin knows what they would find!

The three girls dressed in silence. Fifteen minutes later they headed for the kitchen, as Mrs. Weasley had requested, with tired and sullen expressions on their faces. A quick glance on her watch told Lauren, that it had been barely seven when Mrs. Weasley burst into their room and she had to suppress a groan. She hasn't been here for a full day, and yet she was already wishing to be anywhere but here.

As they arrived at the kitchen door, Mrs. Sherwin hurried towards her daughter, pulling her into a tight embrace.

"Good morning Lauren," she said loudly, and Lauren saw her father and Lupin hurrying to collect some rolls of parchment. Lauren suppressed the urge to roll her eyes, suddenly feeling that she was being treated like a child.

"What are those?" she asked as Mrs. Sherwin released her, pointing to the papers in Lupin's arms.

"Nothing," Elizabeth said brightly, pressing her into a chair. "Nothing you have to worry about."

Lauren growled silently.

They didn't have much time for their breakfast, which was simple toast with butter and strawberry jam. To Lauren it seemed that only five minutes had passed when Mrs. Weasley shooed them out of the kitchen.

"Time to get started!" she said cheerfully, carrying a big box filled with strange-looking bottles of black liquid.

"She says it like it's going to be so much fun..." Lauren suddenly heard a hushed voice next to her ear and she cringed, turning her head. Fred was walking on her right, hands in his pockets, his face rather gloomy.

"I can assure you, it's not," said George, who was walking on Lauren's left.

"She already made you all clean up, right?" she said, the slightest hint of a smile on her lips. Fred looked at her with a distressed expression.

"Oh yes, she did..." he said, George nodding in agreement. "And it was more horrible than a session of Slytherin-accompanied double Potions with Snape on his worst day."

Lauren chuckled, suddenly feeling very light; a grin was plastered on her face. Suddenly they stopped and Mrs. Weasley opened a door, ushering them all into the room. It was long and had a high ceiling, the walls were covered with dirty olive green wallpaper and the dark carpet was stained with trails of dust. But what caught their attention momentarily were the

moss-green velvet curtains framing the high windows. A strange buzzing noise could be heard and it seemed as if a thousand bees were swarming inside them.

"Let's get this done quickly," Mrs. Weasley said, handing each of them a dirty piece of cloth and one of the large bottles, filled with the black liquid and a nozzle at its end. After a few moments of hesitation, because they didn't know what to do, Lauren, Michael and Harry mimicked the others, who tied the cloths over their mouths and noses to protect themselves from the Doxycide.

Before they started, Sirius came into the room, telling Mrs. Weasley that it was indeed a boggart hiding in the small locked cabinet, as she had guessed, which was shaking slightly. After Sirius left, Mrs. Weasley ordered Harry to close the door and they lined up in front of the curtains.

"Careful now," Mrs. Weasley said warningly, "the doxy's teeth are poisonous. I don't want anyone of you to get bitten! I have the antidote with me but I'd prefer not to have to use it."

Swallowing hard Lauren asked herself how poisonous these doxys exactly were, but before she could worry more, Mrs. Weasley stepped out of the line.

"A good squirt should paralyze them. When they are immobilized, just throw them into this one here," she said, pointing to a large bucket standing in the middle of them. She carefully stepped closer to the buzzing curtains. "All right - now _squirt_!"

As soon as they started spraying the black liquid onto the curtains, the doxys came flying towards them, eventually falling to the floor from the paralysis the spray caused.

Lauren looked at the small, black-furred and beetle-winged creatures in disgust before throwing them into the bucket as Mrs. Weasley had instructed. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Fred and George letting some of them disappear in their pockets when their mother wasn't looking. Shaking her head, Lauren kept on squirting, throwing unconscious doxys or their black eggs into their right place.

"Okay, that's enough." Mrs. Weasley said, as no more doxys came out of the curtains. It was past midday and they had spent several hours there, their bottles of doxycide empty, the buckets with eggs and paralyzed doxys all the more full.

"Finally..." Michael sighed and let himself fall onto a chair next to Lauren. "I never thought we'd be doing this during our summer holidays..." he muttered and his sister nodded gloomily.

There was just one good thing about all this cleaning business. Lauren was way too distracted to drool over Fred, who didn't seem to notice her presence anyway. Nevertheless, it made Lauren's mood sink even more and she yearned for the end of the holidays, wishing more than ever to be back at Hogwarts.

"Good. We'll take care of these," She pointed at the dusty glass-fronted cabinets standing on each wall, "after lunch. I'll get some sandwiches for everyone."

Down in the hall the doorbell rang, causing Mrs. Black to start shrieking instantly. Mrs. Weasley rolled her eyes in annoyance and with an added "Stay here, I'll be right back," she left the room, closing the door carefully behind her. At once everybody dashed to the windows; all except for Lauren, who was sitting down dully on the chair Michael had just left.

While everyone was talking animatedly, Lauren abruptly saw a quick movement emerging from the damp curtains. There was one last doxy flying straight to her, unnoticed by the others who were not paying the slightest attention. Growling, Lauren raised her bottle of doxycide, but when she squirted, nothing left the nozzle.

In the fraction of a second, the doxy had landed on Lauren's outstretched arm and now sank it's sharp teeth into her skin.

"Ouch!" Lauren yelped and tried to shake the doxy off. She could feel it pump it's venom into her blood instantly. Finally grabbing it, Lauren managed to pull it off of her, throwing it onto the floor and crushing it under her foot with a loud crunch, leaving a slimy black spot of guts and the rest of the doxy's body on the dirty carpet.

Feeling dizzy, she stumbled and knocked her chair over, which in turn crashed into the small coffee table with a loud crash, finally drawing the attention of the others to herself.

"Look at this," Lauren giggled, feeling light and careless, her vision still blurry, "a doxy bit me! And I killed it!" She pointed at the black mess on the floor, breaking out into another fit of giggles.

She staggered forward, heading in the direction where the others stood. All Lauren could see were blurred forms in front of the window.

"We should call Mrs. Weasley with the antidote!" an alarmed Hermione said in a high-pitched voice. "Doxy poison can be dangerous if not treated!"

"I'll get her," Ginny said and hurried out of the room. From the hall they could hear both Mrs. Weasley and Mrs. Black screaming and shouting.

"Uh, everything's so blurry..." Lauren muttered, then she lost her balance completely and fell into the next person standing beside her. Two warm arms wrapped around her, trying to keep her steady. A nice scent rose to her nose while she let herself hang limply into these arms, feeling contented and comfortable, her head still spinning.

"So... that's the effect of doxy poison," the person holding her said in a amused voice. Lauren liked that voice; she smiled. Several people laughed quietly.

"That's not funny!" an upset Hermione shouted.

"Calm down, Hermione. It is," another person said, and they chuckled again.

"Yeah, for once in his life, Ron's right. Calm down. Mum's coming soon with the antidote," the person holding Lauren said and she smiled again at the sound of his voice.

But who was this person with the nice warm arms, the pleasant smell and that soft voice? She wrinkled her nose. What was that smell? A mixture of fresh soap and... gunpowder? Lauren's face twitched. No, that couldn't be it. Nobody smelled like gunpowder...

"...nasty old blood traitor with her brats messing up my Mistress's house, oh my poor Mistress..." Kreacher's grumbling voice was the last thing Lauren heard before everything around her went dark.

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"Did it work?"

"Shut up, don't you see she's waking up?"

Lauren's face twitched before she opened her eyes, squinting against the bright light hitting her instantly. Several faces hovered over her resting place on an old sofa.

"What happened?" she murmured, her voice sounding a bit hoarse.

"You were bitten by a doxy, dear," Mrs. Waesley said and helped Lauren sit up, shooing the others back to work. "But you're fine now," she added, as Lauren looked at her in shock.

The brown-haired girl slowly stood up, feeling the strength return to her body. Narrowing her eyebrows, she tried to remember what happened after the doxy bit her, but Lauren's memories were nothing more than a blur.

"You can help the others with the cabinets, now that you're fine," Mrs. Weasley said, jolting Lauren out of her thoughts. She grumbled, wishing for another doxy to come and bite her.

"Please help Fred and George over there," ordered Mrs. Weasley and Lauren did as she was told.

"That's a lot of... crap," Lauren said, looking at the various objects in the cabinet. Fred and George beamed.

"What are you talking about?" Fred asked, looking at the objects with sparkling eyes.

"That _'crap' _is... a goldmine!" said George, picking up a small glass bottle, filled with dark green liquid.

"It might be dangerous. And I'm pretty sure your mother won't be happy about you stealing dark objects from this house," Lauren said, raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms in front of her chest. Fred and George grinned simultaneously.

"You don't get it, right?" Fred said, patting her shoulder.

"But you will see..." George added cryptically. Sighing deeply, Lauren shook her head.

"Whatever you say." she said, examining the cabinet once more before opening one of the large sacks Mrs. Weasley had given them. "I'm going to start getting this crap out of here. Do what you want. I don't care."

And with that, Lauren started to empty the cabinet. One object after another fell into the sack. It took the twins some time to bring themselves to help her, occasionally letting something disappear in one of their already full pockets, trying not to get caught by their mother, who was helping Harry, Ron and Ginny at the other end of the long wooden cabinet.

It had been almost two hours of sorting out all the things in the cabinet, with several incidents with strange looking objects, when Fred found a locket in a far corner.

"It's pretty heavy for such a small thing..." he said, his gaze glued to the little thing dangling from it's chain. Lauren furrowed her brows as his expression suddenly became absent, his eyes still fixated on the piece of jewelry.

"Give that to me," she commanded, snatching the locket out of his hands. A sudden sensation, as if someone had emptied a bucket full of ice-cold water over her head, hit Lauren, and she gasped as her vision became blurry for the second time today.

"Lauren?" she heard Fred's voice ask. He suddenly seemed far away, like the room she was in, and Lauren was drifting further and further into this whirl of colors. Then, after some moments she felt the concrete floor underneath her feet again.

But this time, it was not the dusty dark green carpet of the drawing room she had been in just a few seconds ago. Slowly she looked around, surveying her surrounding.

She was in a big and poorly-lit cave. The weak green light flickered over the rough surface of it's stony walls and over the surface of the water she was surrounded by, standing on a small island of solid rock in the middle of this lake.

Lauren's eyes fell on the source of the green light, a stone basin set on top of a pedestal. A man in wide black robes stood behind it, his gaunt face illuminated by the weak light. He must have been handsome once, with his thick jet-black hair and the even features of his face. A house elf was lying at his feet, jerking in agony, his mouth wide open, screaming, but Lauren couldn't hear a thing. Not seeming to notice her standing just a few feet away, the man lowered the locket into the basin, smiling in a satisfied fashion.

The scene suddenly changed when Lauren stepped nearer and she instead saw a man crouching at the foot of the pedestal. His body was twitching, like the house elf's which was now standing at the basin, lowering another locket into it. Lauren couldn't see the man's face, as it was covered by streaks of messy dark brown hair, but she could see his chest moving because of his heavy breathing.

Again, the scene changed and she let out a small shriek when she saw the two persons kneeling on the floor: Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore. Dumbledore was shaking, drinking something out of the goblet Harry was handing him, his face tensed. Once more she tried to step nearer, but the cave, Harry and Dumbledore vanished from her view.

With a gasp Lauren opened her eyes and sat up straight. Darkness surrounded her and she found herself lying in her bed. Her legs felt slightly weak as she moved them over the edge of her bed and stood, stretching her muscles.

What had happened? What did she see?

Lauren massaged her temples, trying to get the picture of the cave back in front of her inner eye. Slightly shuddering, she saw the dark lake and the dim green light. A knock on the door pulled her back into reality and as she saw Fred appear in the doorframe, she sighed silently. Even in this darkness she could tell it was him.

"Hey," he said, his voice almost a whisper. "Mum sent me. Dinner's ready if you're hungry."

"No. I'm not hungry." Lauren lowered her head, suddenly feeling so bad she wanted to scream. All she wanted was to lay down and sleep until this was over.

"Then at least come down and sit with us," Fred said, closing the door behind him after stepping into the room, "you don't have to be here on your own."

"But I want to!" she hissed, feeling anger rising in her. "I don't want to see anybody!"

She felt a lump in her throat and a strange tingling in her stomach.

_No... You are NOT going to cry!_

Fred said nothing and remained standing in front of the door, while Lauren clenched her fists and started breathing heavily.

"I hate it," Lauren suddenly said, looking up now. Her eyes were watery, but he couldn't see that in the darkness. Her voice trembled, and she wiped her cheeks as tears stared to run down them.

"I hate this room, this house, the constant darkness. All of this mysterious behavior, getting no answers, knowing nothing." With every word leaving her mouth, Lauren's voice grew louder and louder. "It makes me sick..."

Then her shoulders started to shake and Lauren sobbed violently. It didn't matter anymore that she was here, crying, while Fred still stood at the door, unable to move at her sudden outburst. Lauren didn't feel embarrassed about losing control over herself; she only felt the desperation and confusion filling her.

Fred was somehow taken aback and didn't know what to say or to do, something that happened rarely in his life. All he could do in this moment was stand there, while Lauren sank down to her knees, unable to hold herself up. In a sudden movement, he shook his head and slowly stepped nearer.

"I don't want to do this anymore... Getting poisoned by a doxy, seeing strange things... all in one day... I don't..." Lauren said between heavy sobs, then she felt a pair of arms around her shoulders. She cried even harder.

"He's back. You-Know-Who really is back," she sobbed. What she should have realized a long time ago finally hit her, made her understand. All this time she had _known _it, but never _understood _it completely. Now she did. And this perception filled her with a fear she could barely stand. Fear for herself, for her family, the people she loved.

"Yes. He is back," Fred said, petting her head lightly. Then he pushed her away a bit, laying his hands on her shoulders. Lauren's sobbing had been replaced by a light sniffle and a hiccup.

"But you always have to remember one thing," he continued, looking into her eyes firmly, "he will be defeated. That's why we're here; that's why we try to brush this house up. And that's why the Order has been founded. Because everyone's got hope."

Fred's words were so full of determination; his look was so confident that Lauren didn't have any other choice but to believe him. She nodded slowly, not breaking their eye contact.

"Yes. You're right," Lauren said, her voice weak from all the crying. She gave Fred a small smile and her heart skipped in her chest when he returned it.

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**That's it, folks! That was chapter 4! First of all, a big big "Thank you!" again to my beta, Martha! Seriously, I'd be lost without your help. And thank you, for the new Favs and Alerts! But still, I miss some reviews... I can see the hits but no reviews. You know, getting reviews is really motivating. If you are an author yourself you know that! So, please, guys. :( *puppy eyes* Enough with the begging. ;) See you next chapter!**


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